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Capilla de San Antonio de Padua (Lasauses)

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Built in 1928–30, Capilla de San Antonio de Padua is a Catholic church in Lasauses in the San Luis Valley. Constructed in the Territorial Adobe style, the church incorporated one wall of an earlier church on the same site, which was built in 1880 but destroyed by fire in 1926. Today, the church is the only public building remaining in Lasauses and is still used for Mass once a month.

When Colorado Territory was organized in 1861, the new government granted three permits for ferries across the Rio Grande. One of those ferries was established at Stewart’s Crossing, which lay on a roughly diagonal road connecting Fort Garlandand Conejos. The town of Lasauses (from the Spanish los sauces, “willows”) developed just south of the ferry and was settled in 1863 by Hispanos from San Antonio de Mora, New Mexico.

By 1870 the town had twenty-three families but no church, requiring residents to travel to Conejos for services. In 1880 the community built a flat-roofed adobe chapel in the Hispanic Adobe style on land donated by Juan N. Trujillo. Dedicated to San Antonio de Padua (St. Anthony of Padua), the chapel served the Lasauses community for nearly fifty years before it was mostly destroyed by fire in 1926. The east wall was still standing, and in 1928 the community used that as the starting point for a new adobe church building, which was consecrated in 1930.

Built in the Territorial Adobe style, Capilla de San Antonio de Padua had adobe walls covered in white stucco, a gabled roof, and a cupola. It was designed in an L-shaped plan, with the nave in the longer central portion of the building and the sacristy in the smaller side wing. Inside, the church featured a marbleized-wood altar, and the east wall had a balcony above the entrance.

Capilla de San Antonio de Padua has seen relatively few changes over the years. In the 1970s, the church received a set of wooden pews from the church in Los Cerritos, which closed in 1969. In 1997 it received a new metal roof and had two of its stained-glass windows restored. That year the church was listed on the State Register of Historic Properties.

In 1934, not long after Capilla de San Antonio de Padua was built, Lasauses had nearly 300 residents, all of whom were Catholic. After World War II, however, the town steadily lost population as people moved to larger cities. Today the area still has a handful of residences and adobe commercial buildings along County Road 28. Capilla de San Antonio de Padua is now a mission church of St. Joseph Parish, based in Capulin, and Mass is celebrated by a visiting priest on the last Saturday of each month.

10th Grade

Capilla de San Antonio de Padua (Church of Saint Anthony of Padua) is a historic Hispanic Catholic church in the San Luis Valley. It was built from 1928–30 in the town of Lasauses. Built in the Territorial Adobe style, the church incorporates the wall of an earlier church on the same site. Today, it is the only public building remaining in Lasauses, and it is still used for Mass once a month.

When Colorado Territory was organized in 1861, the new government granted three permits for ferries across the Rio Grande. One of the ferries was established at Stewart’s Crossing, connecting the town of Fort Garland with Conejos. The town of Lasauses developed just south of the ferry. Hispanos from San Antonio De Mora, New Mexico, settled the town in 1863. In Spanish, Lasauses means “willows”—a plant that thrived in the area.

By 1870 the town had twenty-three families but no church, requiring residents to travel to Conejos for services. In 1880 the community built a flat-roofed adobe church in the Hispanic Adobe style. The land was donated by resident Juan N. Trujillo. The church was dedicated to San Antonio de Padua (St. Anthony of Padua) and served the Lasauses community for nearly fifty years. The building was mostly destroyed by fire in 1926, but the east wall was still standing. In 1928 the community used the remaining wall as the starting point for a new adobe church building, which was consecrated in 1930.

The new church was built in the Territorial Adobe style and featured adobe walls covered with white stucco, a gabled roof, and a cupola. It had an L-shaped design, with the nave in the longer central portion of the building and the sacristy in the smaller side wing. Inside, the church featured a marbleized wood altar and the east wall had a balcony above the entrance.

Capilla de San Antonio de Padua has seen relatively few changes since its reconstruction. In the 1970s the church received a set of wooden pews from the church in Los Cerritos, which closed in 1969. In 1997 a new metal roof was installed and two stained-glass windows were restored. That year the church was listed on the State Register of Historic Properties.

In 1934 Lasauses was a thriving community of nearly 300 residents, all of whom were Catholic. After World War II, however, the population of the town steadily declined as people moved to larger cities. Today there are just a handful of residences and commercial buildings along County Road 28. Capilla de San Antonio de Padua is now a mission church of St. Joseph Parish, which is based in Capulin. Mass is celebrated in this historic church by a visiting priest on the last Saturday of each month.

8th Grade

Capilla de San Antonio de Padua is a historic Hispanic Catholic church in the San Luis Valley. In English, it is called the Church of St. Anthony of Padua. It was built from 1928–30 in the town of Lasauses. It was built in the Territorial Adobe style and used the wall of an earlier church in its design. Today, the church is the only public building remaining in Lasauses. The church is still used for Mass once a month.

When Colorado Territory was organized in 1861, three ferries were issued permits to cross the Rio Grande River. One of the ferries connected the town of Fort Garland with Conejos. The town of Lasauses developed just south of the ferry. Hispanos from San Antonio De Mora, New Mexico, settled the town in 1863. In Spanish, Lasauses means “willows”—the plant that grew in the area.

By 1870 the town had twenty-three families but no church. Residents had to travel to Conejos for services. In 1880 the community built a flat-roofed adobe church in the Hispanic Adobe style. The land was donated by resident Juan N. Trujillo. The church was dedicated to San Antonio de Padua (St. Anthony of Padua) and served the Lasauses community for nearly fifty years. The building was mostly destroyed by fire in 1926, but the east wall was still standing. In 1928 the community used the remaining wall as the starting point for a new adobe church building, which was consecrated in 1930.

The new church was built in the Territorial Adobe style. It featured adobe walls covered with white stucco, a gabled roof, and a cupola. It had an L-shaped design. Inside, the church had a marbleized wood altar and the east wall had a balcony above the entrance.

Capilla de San Antonio de Padua has seen relatively few changes since its reconstruction. In the 1970s the church received a set of wooden pews from the church in Los Cerritos, which closed in 1969. In 1997 a new metal roof was installed and two stained-glass windows were restored. That year the church was listed on the State Register of Historic Properties.

In 1934 Lasauses was a thriving community of nearly 300 residents. At that time, all of the residents were Catholic. After World War II, the population of the town declined as people moved to larger cities. Today there are just a handful of homes and businesses in the town. Capilla de San Antonio de Padua is now a mission church of St. Joseph Parish, which is based in Capulin. Mass is celebrated in this historic church by a visiting priest on the last Saturday of each month.

4th Grade

Capilla de San Antonio de Padua is a historic adobe Catholic church. Capilla is the Spanish word for “church” or “chapel.” It is located in the San Luis Valley. It was built in 1928 in the town of Lasauses. Today, the church is one of the only buildings in Lasauses. The church is still used for Mass once a month.

In 1861 three ferries crossed the Rio Grande River. One of the ferries connected the town of Fort Garland with Conejos. The town of Lasauses started near the ferry. Hispanos from San Antonio De Mora, New Mexico settled the town in 1863. In Spanish, Lasauses means “willows.” The town was named for the plants that grew in the area.

By 1870 the town had twenty-three families. They did not have a church. The families had to travel to Conejos for services. In 1880 the community built a church. It was a flat-roofed adobe church. The church was dedicated to San Antonio de Padua (St. Anthony of Padua). It served the Lasauses community for almost fifty years. Then, a fire destroyed the building. All that was left was one wall. In 1928 the families built a new adobe church building. They kept the wall of the first church as part of the building.

The new church had adobe walls covered with white stucco. It had a steep roof and a bell tower. It had an L-shaped design. The congregation met in the large part of the building. The church offices were in the smaller side wing. Inside, the church had a wood altar and a small balcony.

In the 1970s, the church got some used wooden pews. They were from a church that closed. In 1987 the church got a new metal roof. The stained-glass windows were repaired. The church got a special honor. It was listed on the State Register of Historic Properties.

In 1934 Lasauses was a town of nearly 300 people. At that time, all of the residents were Catholic. After World War II, the people moved away. Today there are just a few homes and businesses in the town. Capilla de San Antonio de Padua is now a mission church. Mass is celebrated in this historic church by a visiting priest on the last Saturday of each month.